I’ve been making this recipe for a while and it’s one of my husband’s favorites. While I normally use kale, I do sometimes substitute with spinach or escarole. I also use a combination of spicy and mild Italian chicken sausage. I also recommend fresh sausage and not the pre-cooked kind in that vacuum-sealed package. A good chicken stock gives the best flavor but you can use broth as long as you give the soup adequate time to simmer. My last bit of advice is to use parmesan rinds; they add so much flavor. They actually sell just the rinds at Whole Foods in the cheese section. They are great for soups, stews, sauces and one-pot meals. As with all of my recipes, I do not really measure so all of the measurements listed are approximate.

8 cups of good chicken stock

1.5 to 2lbs. of Italian chicken sausage (both spicy and sweet)

4-5 cups of chopped kale

2 large carrots chopped

1 large onion chopped

5 cloves of garlic chopped

2 large celery stalks chopped

1 medium zucchini chopped

1 15 oz. can of cannellini beans

2 Tablespoons of dried basil

1 Tablespoon of dried oregano

1 Parmesan rind

1 bay leaf

A few tablespoons of olive oil

Remove sausage from casings and cook thoroughly in oil (I prefer avocado oil for high heat cooking) over medium-high heat. Break sausage apart while cooking so it’s in crumbles. Remove from heat and add all vegetables, including garlic. Saute until tender and add more oil during the cooking process if needed. Season vegetables during the cooking process with salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Add back in the sausage and then add 4 cups of your stock. Stir in bay leaf, parmesan rind, beans and kale. Bring to a simmer and add extra stock as needed. Simmer gently for 1 to 2 hours and add more stock along the way if needed. Top with soup with olive oil. Serve with grated parmesan.